Potato harvesting machine



NOV. 28, 1933. NIEMEYER 1,937,159

POTATO HARVESTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 31, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l R Qt a lo u to cl Q Nov. 28, 1933- L. NIEMEYER POTATO HARVESTING momma FiledDec. 31, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 28, 1933 i A'TiE N'T OFFICE7 .POTATOQHARiKEST-ING MACHINE '-I21rdvvig -Niemeyer,- "()ese, Germany YApplicationDecember-.31,z1931,:SerialNo.-584,123,

. .a.nd.in Germany January 12,1931

4 GlaimS. (Cl. 55,-56)

ii'Ihe invention :relates it!) a ipotato harvesting machine with shoveliwheel and:elevator-arranged lbehind theeshare'; v

in machines fof'rthis xtypeitiis knownitoaarrange :hetweenamotatable'shovel wheel e-xtendingaabove 'asgratetransversely totheudirection of ztravelaand -,an elevator,: a :collectingibox,theibottom' off-which consists of a shaking grate, :and \the side wallor which -.opposite thev shovel =wheel consists of; .in- 10 mlined,resiliently. arranged :tubular rods,- whereas :therear wall is formed bythe elevator. From "the elevator extends a device "for iremoving thestalks:arid-leaves:and thenanother grate'lthrough which the potatoesdropinto a basket.

:Such machines possess :the inconvenience, :that only :a :portion oftheiearthismonducted through ithercollectingibox,thelargestportion'ofthe same anrivingitogetherwiththepotatoesandthestalks aand ileaves :inthe elevator, where :the adhering .earthrca-nnot :be :removed. Also thepotatoes ncan notrbefcompletely ireedirom earth and stalks and:leaves-on the next following grate-andonthe rollers for removingthezstalksz-and leaves; 'fIn :pota'to harvesting machines with :a shovelwheel :rotating transversely :to ;the direction of travel it has furtherbecome 'known flzo-arrangem :se'cond :shovel wheel at the ;side -of theifirst :one :andtparallel to:the:direction:f travel. This sec- ,ond:shovel wheel is shut off :by a :bafiie disc or grate and ithenrows -ofarms or tines arranged :around -the axle :are :constructed .:roll .like.The potatoes thrown 101T by the first .shovel wheel falliwith theadhering earth into the interwa'l between :two rowszof ztinesiofithesecond shovel wheel and either drop on to ;the ground .or are grippedaby :the lower row of times "and-thrown in' backward direction. Ashowever .the lIOWS :of tines :aresituated fin the direction of throwing,the potatoes slide along the tines and assume, as at the same time ,apush in the =furrow direction is imparted to them by the-rotating rowsof .tines, :a :direction of movement, which forms with the furrows a-n:a-ngle of approximately-45; only sev- ';eral potatoes, which havewbeenthrown far and recoil from bafile surfaces, arezmoved to the rear in thedirection f the furrow-s. Asratthe first centrifuging the greatestnumber of the {potatoes do not strike against a bafllesurface, but slideon the rows of ltines, the separation of earth from .the fpotatoesdesigned to be attained by ether-first shovel .wheel'does not take placeiniull measure. The potatoes are-deposited by the second shovel wheel ina flat-curve and also'here no bafile surf-ace is provided and, when theweather is moist, the danger .exists .that the potatoes rolling over theground are enveloped 'by earth. Nomeans :are,;provided 'for collectingthe potatoes.

Machines are further known, in which the potato ridge is conveyed into atrough-like. grate forming the extension-of the share and thrown to:byzmeansiofxarshovel whe'el against a stationary .:gr'ate 01" :against'a bucket *elevator. :Also in such 7 a machine perfectseparation-of;-the earthand of therstalksand leaves from the potatoesdoes not takeip'la'ce; 1

According to the invention a collecting trough enlarging towards theshovel wheel is provided, ifromwhichthe :pdtatoes are thrown, by meansof "ashovelwheel-rotating-in the trough, in rearward direction ragainstan endless grate, from which .extends-atransverse sorting drum withmovable iwallstrips, :underneath which :drum and in the extension ofwhich :stalks and leaves removing .:rolls are arranged -rotating :inpairs in opposite directions-and situatedin 'an inclined plane, fromwhich rolls=thepotatoes :slip into baskets on the sidewof' thezmachine,the'grate, ascending approximately in .the direction of throw,'rhavingwebs fstanding perpendicular to the directionof throw zandserving asbaiile, surfaces. Inorder to prevent :the potato ridge from slippingthroughthe firstshovel wheeL-the-sideof this shovel wheel facing :theSshare has ;a great number of tines .forming ashuttingofi grate andsituated all in oneplane. v-Azrectangular discis further-rotatably 35:mounted .underneath the grate, atthe side of the same, which has tinesengagingbetween the bars of the grate and :lifits and lowers this grate:jer-kwise. The'grate consists of bars. The inwardlybent endof each bar;forms a hook, into on which the adjacentbarishooked. The grate bars.are further zslightly bent in upward direction so that, when passingthe reversing points, they move the one away from the other and liberatepotatoes which might be clamped between the g5 bars. The conioallyenlarged sortingdrum is surrounded the outer side by carrying ringsdesigned to receive the stalks and leaves, and the wall of this drum isformed by longitudinalrods journaled-zin the rims of the drum andserving ascarriersforinwardly situated obliquelyextend .ing wires whichform the drum wall proper'and which, in the -closing position, bearagainst stationary rods,=the rotatable longitudinalrods having abutmentsdesigned for limiting the rotating movement. Lin-order to remove thelast remain- :ders iof the-stalks and leaves the material rolls overstalk :removing rolls situated in one plane, the rolls of'each gpairrotating in opposite direc- V -tions, and all the rolls being inclined,so that 51 m the potatoes roll over the same whereas the stalks andleaves remain on the rolls and are discharged in downward direction. Thewide-meshed baskets designed to collect the potatoes are mounted in agroove at the side of the machine and have bows which grip on the endface over the basket rim.

Numerous experiments have shown that for sta is about 50 cms. high it isnot necessary to previously remove the stalks in any manner. The machineseparates the stalks and leaves and earth from the potatoes and gathersup to 99% of the potatoes in the ground. The necessary power for themachine can be supplied by three medium heavy or two heavy horses.Potato stalks of greater height must be mowed or previously removed withsuitable machines. a

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example in theaccompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of themachine.

Fig. 2 shows the shaking disc- J Figs. 3, 4 and 5 showthe bars of theendless grate.

Fig 6 shows infront' end elevation the main shovel wheel.

Fig. 7 shows the hub of the shovel Wheel with the bores for thetines,.the arrow indicating the direction of draught. 1

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the machine, some of the wires of the drumbeing omitted for the sake of clearness. r

Fig. 9 is a section on line IX--IX of Fig. 8.

In the potato harvesting machine a shovel wheel 1 is situated above-ashare 2'which lifts out the potato ridge. The several tines in one rowof tines in the shovel wheel 1 are arranged mutually ahead, the tinesdigging last into the ground in the direction of travel forming a gratewith the interposed tines 57. Fig. 7 shows the bores 58 for the tines5'7. The arrow in Fig. 7 indi cates the front of the shovel wheel 1 inthe direction of draft. At the side of the shovel wheel 1 an upwardlyinclined catching trough 3 is arranged, in which a tine wheel or secondshovel wheel 4 rotates. An endless grate 5 upwardly inclinedin thedirection of throw and arranged behind the collecting trough 3 consistsof bars 6 bent off in downward direction at the ends and carrying webs'7 and 8 spaced at suitable distances and arranged at different heightserving as baifle surfaces. The inwardly bent ends 'of the bars formhooks 52, in which the adjacent bars are hooked. Under the endless grate5, near each outer side, a rectangular disc 9 is situated, the teeth 10of these discs 9 engaging between the bars 6 and webs 7 and 8 tojerkwise lift and 1 lower said grate 5. The machine is transportable andmounted on two small wheels 11 and on two largewheels 13, the lattermounted on an axle'12. The shovel wheel l is driven from the axle 12through the intermediary of a bevel wheel gearing whereas the shovelwheel 4 is driven from the axle 12 through sprocket wheels 53 and 14 bya chain 15. spur wheels 17 and 18, a chain 19 and a spur The grate 5 isdriven through wheel 20, which is keyed on a shaft 21 connected with alower shaft 22 by the grate 5. The collecting trough 3 is closed at theside by a grate 23 and partly covered with a bafile disc 24'of thetine-wheel 4, the bars of the grate?) being welded at one end to themachineframe' 25,

upper portion of the endless grate 5 a sheet metal chute 30 is arranged,through which the potatoes with the stalks and leaves drop on to asorting drum 31, a guide plate 32 being provided which extends parallelto the feed direction of the material and on the supporting constructionin vertical direction partly covering laterally the open end wall of thedrum so as to prevent the material from dropping out at the small end ofthe truncated conical sorting drum. Such a guide plate is not necessaryon the opposite large end because the sorting drum rises towards thisend and extends beyond the side of the grate 5.

The drum 31 is formed of longitudinal rods 54 journaled in therims 33and 34 of the drum and having each a finger-like abutment 35, designedto limit the rotation of the rod to about 90. Obliquely extending wires55, loosely lying on fixed rods 56, are rigidly connected with the rods54 and form the Wall proper of the drum 31. Wire rings 36 are placedaround the wires 55. The long stalks drop on 'to these Wire rings 36 andon to the longitudinal rods 54 and 56 and they are removed during therotation of the sorting drum 31, whereas the potatoes drop throughbetween the sameq'The drum has a running ring 3 8 rolling on'two wheels37'and an axle 39 driven from the shaft 21 through the intermediary ofspur wheels 40 and 41 and chain 42. Four rolls 43 are pairwise arrangedunder the rim 33 of the drum the rolls in each pair rotating in oppositedirections. The bearings 44 of these rolls 43 are mounted shiftable inlongitudinal direction in the machine frame 45 and by the pressure of aspring 46 secured in their adjusted position, the bearings 47 beingrigidly connected with the frame 45. Theremaining rolls, owing to theshiftability of the bearings in the coordinate frame 45 can yieldso-that gaps are produced between the rolls through which gaps thestalk, roots, soil and the like can be led off. The rolls driven by atoothed wheel 53 are situated in a plane which is inclined at such anangle that the potatoes can easily. roll over them, whereas the"position ofthe rolls 43 can be easily ascertained.

A grate 48 composed of laths, designed to support coarse meshed wirebaskets 49, extends from the rolls 43, at first inclined and thenparallel to 'said rolls. The one endface of each basket car'- to gripover the ries a U-shaped bar 50 designed end face of another basket. p

The operation o1 the potato harvesting machine is as follows:

The share 2 lifts up the potato ridge, which is thrown by theshovelwheel 1 into the collecting trough 3 and strikes partly againstthe grate 23 or baffie disc '24. 'A great portion of the earth "depositsalreadyin the collecting trough. The

material is then thrown by the shovel wheel 4 against the'upwardlyinclined travelling grate 5 and recoils from the webs 7 and 8 standingperpendicularly to the direction of throw. By this second striking thepotatoes are'completely freed from earth, theearth dropping through thegaps between the grate'bars. The grate 5 during its movement is raisedand lowered jerkwise by the discs 9 so that the last traces of earthdrop 01f the potatoes. The potatoes drop then through 'between'the bars54 and 56 and the wire rings the drum and drop off during the rotationof this drum. The potatoes dropping into the sorting drum 31 strikeagainst the wires 55 which, owing to the displacement of the centre ofgravity, bear against the stationary rods 56 and the potatoes areconducted by these wires in outward direction and slip over the rolls 43into the basket 49. If the basket 49 is full one end of the same,

an endless travelling grate above said collecting trough adapted toreceive the material from said second mentioned shovel wheel, a sortingdrum extending transversely to the direction of travel arranged behindand under the rear end of said travelling grate, a set of stalks andleaves removing rolls arranged in pairs at the delivering side of saidsorting drum the rolls in each pair rotating in opposite directions, allsaid rolls 'situated in a downwardly inclined plane, and baskets at theside of the machine designed to receive the potatoes from said rolls.

2. A potato harvesting machine as specifiedin claim 1, comprising incombination with the share the collecting trough and the shovel wheelrotating in said trough, a number of vertical bars situated in one planeon the side of said shovel wheel remote from said share and forming ashutting off gratefor said collecting trough.

I 3. Potato harvesting machine as specified in claim 1 in which the barsforming the travelling grate have inwardly bent ends forming each ahook, in which the adjacent bar is hooked, said barsbeing bent upwardsso that, when passing the reversing points, the distance between saidbars is considerably increased and potatoes clamped between said barsare liberated.

4. 'A potato harvesting machine as specified in claim 1, comprising incombination with the sorting drum comically widened in the dischargingdirection, carrying rings surrounding said sorting drum designed tocarry the potatoes,

stalks and leaves, longitudinal rods rotatably mounted in the rimsofsaid drum, oblique wires loosely arranged under said longitudinal rods'forming the wall proper of said drum, stationary longitudinal rods fixedin the rims of said drum adapted to support said loose wires in theclosing position, and a finger-like abutment on one end of each of saidrotatable longitudinal rods adapted to limit the rotation of said rodsLUDW'IG I NIEMEYER..

